Wagon-rack.



E. C. BENNETT. f

WAGON RACK.

APPLICATION man JULY e. 19.5.

Patented'zmne 6,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

THE coLuMmA PLANOGRAPH C0., wAsHlNGTON. D. c.

E. C. BENNETT..

WAGON RACK.'

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1915.

Patented J une 6, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l lllllll l. Il

THE coLuMBxA PLANouRAPH co., wAsHlNuToN. D. C.-

' E. C. BENNETT.

WAGON RACK.

APP'LlcAnoN man 1uLY6. 1915.

Patent-ed June 6, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ELWIN C. BENNETT, 0F NEW LONDON, WISCONSIN.

WAGON-RACK.

Speccationof Letters Patent.

Patented June c, 191e.l

Application led July 6, 1915. Serial No. 38,263.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ELwIN C. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New London, in the county of iWaupaca and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon-Racks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. v

My invention relates broadly to improven ments in carriages and wagons and more particularly to racks for the latter, the obj ect of the invention being to provide a comparatively simple and extremely low rack which may be applied to the usual farm wagon, thus facilitating loading thereof.

With this general object in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and in the unique combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In describing the invention, I shall refer to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate correspond-I ing parts throughout the several views and wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rack constructed in accordance with my invention, showing the application thereof to use; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the parts shown in Fig. l; Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections taken on the lines 4-4 and 5--5 of Fig. l respectively.

In these drawings which constitute a part of the application, a wagon running gear is shown, such gear comprising the usual front and rear wheel supported bolsters B and B having upright stakes S between which the wagon bed or load supported on the bolsters is commonly disposed.

The construction of the parts so far briefly described constitutes no part of the present invention, and is illustrated primarily for the purpose of disclosing the application of the invention proper, to use.

Resting removably on the front and rear bolsters B and B respectively, but held against shifting thereon by any preferred stop means, are the front and rear bed frames 1 and la, each of these frames being here shown as comprising a pair of longitudinally disposed sleepers 2 resting on the bolsters, and a pair of transverse sleepers 3 disposed on and secured in any preferred manner to the longitudinal sleepers. `Depending from the opposite ends of lthe front transverse sleeper of the front frame and from the rear transverse sleeper of the rear frame, are the upright hanger members 4, these members being shown in the present embodiment of the invention as being formed integrally with a pair of longitudinally extending stringers 5 which are disposed in planes beneath the frames 1 and la, such stringers being furthermore supported by additional hanger members 4a' which depend from the opposite ends of the front transverse Stringer of the rear frame and from the rear transverse Stringer of the front frame, the hanger members 4=l boing shown in the form of stay bolts having pairs of nuts on their opposite ends, the nuts on the lower ends of said bolts being disposed in contact with the upper and lower sides of the stringers 5 through which said ends pass. The upper ends vof the stay bolts 4L pass not only through the opposite ends of the aforesaid stringers 5, but through front and rear platforms 6 and 6a supported respectively by the front and rear bed frames land la, and through metal straps 7 which are disposed one at the rear edge of the front platform, and one at the front edge of the rear platform, the pairs of nuts on said upper ends of the stay bolts being disposed in contact with the upper sides of the straps` 7 and with the lower sides of the sleepers through which they pass.

It is to be observed that the front and rear frames l and 1a are of such height as to dispose their upper sides in planes above the wheels of the running gear, thereby allowing the opposite edge portions of the front and rear platforms 6 and 6a to project laterally above said wheels as clearly disclosed in the bottom and end views. In order to support the projecting edges of the platforms 6 and 6a the transverse sleepers are extended to points beneath the extreme edges thereof, thus positioning the hanger members 4 and 4al and the stringers 5, outwardly from the several wheels, whereby no obstruction is oered to steering of the front Wheels, and whereby any loa-d upon the rack is prevented from contacting with the wheels which often become soiled by contact with the earth. Furthermore, by widening the platforms to such an extent as that shown in the drawings, more load supvbeneath that in which the platforms 6 and 6a are located, thereby greatly facilitating loading of the rack and lowering such a portion of the load as to more readily prevent tilting of the rack when the wagon is being used on grades and when sharp turns are being made, the latter being readily allowed since the bed frame 1 is of considerably less width than the rear frame l, whereby the front wheels are notlimited in their turning movement by contact with said front frame.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be evident that although very simple means has been provided for carrying out the object of the invention, the improved construction will bei eflicient and durable in operation and -will possess a number of highly advantageous characteristics.

In the drawings, certain specific details of construction have been shown for accomplishing probably the best results, and in the preceding, such details have been described, but it will be evident that I need not be restricted thereto otherwise than to the extent to which the appended claim limits me.

I claim:

A wagon body comprising front and rear horizontal bed frames adapted to rest on the front and rear bolsters of a wagon gear, each of said frames being of a height to dispose its upper side in a plane above the standards at the ends of the holsters, and the wheels, and each comprising a pair of' parallel longitudinal sleepers and a plurality of transverse sleepers overlying said longitudinal sleepers, secured thereto, and projecting laterally therefrom, front and rear platforms overlying and secured to the transverse sleepers, a pair of longitudinally disposed angle iron stringers disposed in a plane below the bed frames and having their front and rear ends bent upwardly into l .l in@ the same transverse metal stra s overlying respectively the rear end of the front platform and the front end of the rear platform and having openings through which the upper ends of the bolts also project, upper and lower pairs of nuts on the bolts contacting with the upper and lower sides of the parts through which said ends pass, and a central platform supported on the stringers and interposed between the other platforms.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit.-

nesses.

ELWIN C. BENNETT. Witnesses:

H. F. HERRMANN, A. I-I. HERRMANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing 4'che Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C." 

